Wednesday, July 23, 1997 -- Oh, Danny Boy
The storms woke me up with a big ol' kaboom Then a single light tone filled up the room My modem was dead, and that's the news No more 33.6, it's the 14.4 blues.		I woke up this morning around 2 or 2:30 to the loudest thunder and lightning I'd heard in awhile. It was right over my apartment. As I slowly woke up, watching the show out my window, a particularly close one hit, and jarred me awake. Ok, maybe it wasn't just the thunder and lightning that jarred me awake. Maybe it was that weird noise my modem was making. Was making, that is, not anymore. I got up and switched it off and on again...nope. "It's Dead, Jim" I shut down my computer, and unplugged it, just so I wouldn't lose my favorite toy, and went back to bed. I got up again at 4, checked the modem. Still dead. I checked it again at 6, and then 7 when I officially woke up. I had this absurd idea it would 'get better'. I went to my big box of obsolete computer equipment, and got out my old external 14.4. I never throw away obsolete equipment, just broken equipment. All that stuff still functions, even if I don't need it anymore. And computers being what they are, they break. I'm too much of a net.junkie to be modemless. (I have 4 modems...one ex-33.6, two 14.4, one internal, and an external 2400 Hayes modem...for when I'm desperate.) My pack rat tendencies helped out, and I was able to get online with a minimum of fuss. My web browsing, and downloading are slower, but I can deal with that. Most of the webpages I view are low-graphics anyway. [Thank you fellow journalers!] After I got the modem working, I packed up and headed in to work. That's when I realized how much Danny was playing with Charlotte. I picked my apartment because it is near three major roads, but not actually on any of them. Two of those major roads were closed, one of them at the exit that would place cars most easily...on my road. All the buses and cars and trucks were diverted down my road. I was standing in my jacket (coudln't find the umbrella) at the bus stop waiting for my bus. Which never came. 3 buses of various sorts (one "Not in Service") passed us, before one of the diverted buses pulled over and let us on. "You goin' downtown?" The bus driver asked. I nodded to her, and she said, "Well you better get on then, or you'll never get there." Saying a silent prayer to the transportation ghods, I climbed on her bus. I can ride any bus downtown. The all go to the transportation center, which is only three blocks from where I work. This morning I was regretting even those three blocks. When I got off the bus, the rain picked up. Just to spite me, I guess. Needless to say, I got soaked. Right on top of that wonderful cold I got from [Barbara]'s kids on Saturday. I sat in the now too-cold air conditioning, and got ready for customers tomorrow, just knowing that I was going to be too sick, that the presentation would fail miserably if I wasn't there. And so on... I finally went downstairs to the little convenience store there, and got some medicine, which helped. I made it through the day, somehow. It wasn't raining when I got home, but it started soon after. I was going to go out and get some medicine, but decided against it. Ultimately, I just fell asleep, exhausted and worn out. Generic Joe's A Typical Male